Sign and door-plate



(Specimens.)

W. PATHIE.

SIGN AND DOOR PLATE.

No. 330.511. v Patented Nov. 17, 1885.

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UNITED STAT S XVILLIAM PATHIE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SIGN AND DOOR-PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,511, dated November 17,1885.

Application filed December 5, 1883.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM PATHIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements iuthe Art of Manufacturing Articles in which Luminous Material is Employed; and I declare the following to be a description of my said invention sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

In applying luminous or phosphorescent material to the various purposes for which it is commonly employed it has heretofore been the usual practice to use it in the form of a paint that is mixed with oil or varnish or similar vehicle and applied in thin coatings with a brush. WVhen so applied to articles made with a facing or outside covering of glass such as door-plates, signs, tablets, &c.it has been found that after a comparatively short time the luminous paint will cleave from the glass in patchesor irregular portions, giving a speckled or stained appearance, also that the paint will turn yellow, sometimes unequally in the different portions, losing its original whiteness and luster, and thesigns constructed thereof will for these reasons become disfigured and their beauty and utility be destroyed.

The object of my present invention is to overcome the above-named objections, and to provide a means whereby the articles, signs, &c., made with luminous material are rendered more durable and are caused to retain their original appearance and beauty for a much longer time than those of ordinary make; also, to afford a method of applying the luminous material in the manufacture of articles, whereby it can be worked in an easy, expeditious, and economical manner.

To this end my invention consists,first, in the method of applying luminous material in the production of door-plates, signs, and other articles, as hereinafter more fully described, which consists in combining and using the luminous material with a substance which solidifies or hardens by'hydration; second, in ap- Serial No. 118,589. (Specimens.)

plying the luminous material to the glass in powdered or comminuted form, mixed with calcined gypsum (plaster-ofparis) or amater'ial which hardens or solidifies by hydration, and subjecting the mass to moisture; third, in a luminous surface or body composed in whole or in part of luminous material mixed with or signs or door-plates; but it will be under-- stood that substantially the same method may be employed in the manufacture of matchsafes, clock-dials, tablets, and similar articles, such as have been heretofore prepared in the usual manner with luminous paint, and that such articles when made in accordance with the method herein described are within the scope of my invention.

In carrying out my invention I employ a luminous or phosphorescent material in comminuted or powdered form--such, for instance, as the phosphorescent or luminous material described in Letters Patent No. 223,050, dated December 30, 1879, or other composition having similar self luminous properties. The glass plate A or transparent protecting-surface is first cleaned and prepared to receive the luminous surface or body 0. The luminous material in fine powdered form is mixed with fine calcined gypsum or plaster-of-paris in proportion of about one part of calcined plaster, more or less, to two parts of the luminous material,and this mixture is sifted or spread over the glass plate A, forming thereon a layer or body, 0, of such thickness as may be desired-say,'about one-sixteenth to oneeighth of an inch, more or less. After depositing this coating 0 upon the glass plate A, it is subjected to moisture sufficient for the hydration of the plaster, which solidifies and hardens the mass into a compact solid plate in which the luminous substance is firmly locked or integrated. The most convenient way now known to me for moistening the combined materials without disturbing the fine powder after it has been sifted onto the glass is to cover it carefully with a piece of damp muslin or ordinary cotton cloth,and to then gently sprinkle water upon the cloth, letting it soak through and into the mixed material until it has absorbed suflicient for the thorough hydration of the mass. If preferred, the surface of the glass could be first dusted over with a thin deposit of pure luminous material before the depositing thereon of the mixed substances, but in such casethe preliminary deposit should not be so thick that its particles will escape from the cementing substance when undergoing the hydrating action. After the facing or body 0 has hardened, (the cloth having been previously removed,) a sheet of tinfoil or other similarly Waterrepellent film, D, may. be placed on the back thereof, or the whole back, or any desired portion thereof, may be filled in with a protectingbody, E, of plain calcined plaster, the plaster being hardened and solidified by hydration, so as to form a solid and integrant part with the facing O.

- The foil or intermediate sheet or film may not in all instances be required, and can be omitted, when desired, or arranged in rear of the backing E, or a simple sheet of paper or cloth may be substituted instead of metallic foil. In some articles where it isinconvenient to use the material in dry-powdered form, or when more desirable, theluminous material mixed with calcined plaster may be moistened before placing or applying it to the glass; but in such cases it must be applied immediately after it has been moistened, and I prefer to place the'mixed material on the glass in dry condition, and to then moisten it, except in such situations as it is impractical to retain a dry powder in position until it can'be hydrated'aud solidified.

Articles made by the method herein described are much more serviceable and durable than those produced by the ordinary method of manufacture, and they are not subject to discoloration or to turn yellow after being in use for a short time; neither are they liable to become patchy or speckled by the cleavage of the luminous coating 0 from the glass facing since the hydrated body or coating not having any tenaceous attachment to the glass cleaves as a whole and not in patches. Another great advantage is the facility and expedition with which the articles can be manufactured, since they can by my method be made with less labor and in much less time, as they do not require to be artificially baked or left a long time to dry and harden, but become, by the hydration, solid and firm almost immediately, thus reducing the time required for making the articles from a process of several days to one of avery few hours, and a corresponding reduction in the expense ofproduction. The articles thus made also have a much whiter and cleaner appearance than those made with luminous paint in the ordi nary way of manufacture.

What I claim as of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improvement in the art of manufacturing articles in which luminous or phosphorescent material is employed, which consists in mixing the luminous material with a,

substance that hardens, sets, or becomes solid by hydration or absorption of moisture, forming therewith the desired surface or body upon the glass or article, and solidifying or fixing said mass by moisture or wetting, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. The improvement in the art of manufacturing luminous signs and similar articles, which consists in combining luminous material in fine powdered form with calcined gypsum (plaster-ofparis) in proportion of about two parts of the former to one part of the latter, and applying the same to the glass or article with moisture sufficient to render the mass into a compact solid body, surface, or

coating by the hydration or setting action, substantially as hereinbefore described.

3. The method of confining and fixing luminous material in connection with a glass article or protecting-plate by a dehydrated sub stance, as calcined plaster, intimately associated with the luminous material, and caused to set, harden, or solidify in contact there-- with by application of moisture or wetting during the process of manufacture, as set forth.

Witness'my hand this 28th day of November, A. D. 1883.

WILLIAM PATHIE. W'itnesses: CHAS. H. BURLEIGH, O. 0. WHITE. 

